HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998-05-19 PC Study Session Agenda 1
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STUDY SESSION AGENDA
PALM DESERT PLANNING COMMISSION
TUESDAY - MAY 19, 1998
6:00 P.M. - COUNCIL CHAMBER CONFERENCE ROOM
73-510 FRED WARING DRIVE
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6:00 P.M. 1 . DISCUSSION OF REVISIONS TO THE BYLAWS
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CITY OF PALM DESERT
PLANNING COMMISSION
BYLAWS
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1 . MEETINGS
1 . 1 REGULAR MEETINGS
The Planning Commission shall hold regular Meetings at
the City Council Chamber at City Hall, 73-510 Fred Waring
Drive, Palm Desert, CA, twice a month on days to be
established from time to time by resolution of the
Planning Commission. When a day for any regular meeting
of the Planning Commission falls on a lec�al holiday, no
meeting shall be held at such holiday, but a regular
meeting shall be held on the same hour on the next
succeeding business day thereafter that is not a holiday.
Regular, special and emergency meetings shall be called,
noticed and conducted in accordance, with State law.
1 .2 QUORU
Three members of the Planning Commission shall constitute
a quorum and shall be sufficient to conduct business .
In the event there is no quorum formed, the Chairman,
Vice-Chairman or Secretary, as the case may be, may
adjourn the meeting and such adjournment shall serve as
sufficient notice to continue all matters pending before
the Planning Commission to its next regular meeting.
1 . 3 ATTENDANCE:
Commissioners are expected to be in attendance at reqular
meetings of the Planning Commission. If any member knows
that he or she will be absent from any Planning
Commission meeting due to illness or an unavoidable
absence, he or she shall notify the Secretary as soon as
feasible of such absence.
2 . OFFICERS
2 . 1 ENUMERATION OF OFFICERS :
The officers of the Planning Commission shall include a
Chairman, Vice Chairman and Secretary. .
2 .2 ELECTION:
At the first regular meeting of the Planning Commission
held in the month of October the Commission shall elect
the Chairman and Vice Chairman, and the Director of
Community Development shall serve as Secretary to the
Planning Commission. Such election and appointment shall
be for a term of one year. Should a vacancy occur in any
of the elected positions at any time different than the
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scheduled time for formal elections, the Planning
Commission will immediately proceed to conduct such
elections to fill such vacancies .
3 . CONDUCT OF MEETING
3 . 1 Presiding Officer:
The Chai.rman shall be the Presiding Officer at all
meeting� of the Planning .Commission. In the absence of
the Chairman, the Vice-Chairman shall preside. In the
� - absence of both the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman, the
Planning Commission shall elect a temporary Presiding
Officer to serve until the arrival of the Chairman or
Vice-Chairman or until adjournment.
3 . 2 AGENDA:
The agenda shall be prepared by the Secretary in
accordance with State law. The order of business shall
be as directed by the Planning Commission from time to
time.
3. 3 ROLL CALL: '
Before proceeding with the business of the Commission,
the roll of the members shall be called and the names of
those present or absent shall be entered in the minutes .
3 . 4 MINUTES :
At all Planning Commission meetings there shall be taken
minutes of the proceedings . Unless a reading of the
minutes `of a Commission meeting is requested by a member
of the Commission, such minutes may be approved without
reading if the Secretary has previously furnished each
member of the Planning Commission with a copy thereof.
3 . 5 SIGNING OF DOCUMENTS :
Subject to Planning Commission policy, the Chairman shall
sign resolutions and minutes approved by the Planning
Commission at meetings at which he or she is in
attendance. In the event of his or her absence, the
Vice-Chairman shall sign all such documents as have been
adopted and approved by the Planning Commission. In
absence of the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman, the
temporary Presiding Officer shall sign all such documents
as have been approved and adopted during the meeting at
which he or she presided.
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4 . DEBATE
4 . 1 Presidina Officer:
Debate upon all matter pending before the Planning
Commission shall be under the direct supervision Of the
Presiding Officer and conducted in such a manner as to
expedite the business of the Planning Commission subject
. to the rules herein provided. Every .Commission member
� desiring to speak sh�all address the chair, and upon
. recognition by the Presiding Officer, shall confine
` himself to the question under debate, avoiding all
personal attacks and indecorous language. A member, once
recognized, shall not be interrupted when speaking unless
called to order by the Presiding Officer.
4 .2 PARTICIPATION OF Presiding Officer:
The Presiding Officer is responsible for the maintenance
of order and decorum at all times. The Presiding Officer
may move, second, and debate from the chair, subject only
to such limitations of debate as are imposed on all
Comm.issioners, and he or she shall not be deprived of any
of the rights and privileges of .a Commissioner by reason
of his or her acting as Presiding Officer. However, the
Presiding Officer is primarily responsible for the
conduct of the meeting. If he or she desires to
personally engage in extended debate on questions before
the Planning Commission, he or she should consider
turning the chair over to another member.
4 . 3 REMARKS OF THE COMMISSIONER:
A member may request, through the Presiding Officer, the
privilege of having a verbatim copy of his or her
statement on any subject under consideration by the
Commission entered in the Minutes.
4 . 4 ROBERT' S RULES OF ORDER:
Except as otherwise provided herein, all questions of
parliamentary procedure shall be resolved according to
Robert' s Rules of Order.
4 . 5 ADDRESSING THE COMMISSION:
Any person desiring to address the Commission on a matter
on the Agenda, may address the Commission at the time the
matter is considered by the Commission upon first
, securing the recognition of the Presiding Officer. Any
person desiring to address the Commission on a matter not
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on the Aqenda must do so during the time allotted for
public comment.
4 . 6 MANNER OF ADDRESSING THE COMMISSION:
Each person addressing the commission shall step up to
the podium and shall give his or her name and city of
- residence for the record. All remarks shall be addressed
to the Commission as a body and not. to any member
thereof. No person, other than the Commission and the
person having the floor, shall be permitted to enter into
any discussion either directly or throuqh a member of the
Commission, without the permission of the Presiding
Officer. No question shall be asked a Commissioner
except through the Presiding Officer.
4 . 7 TIME LIMITATION:
Any public member addressing the Commission shall limit
his or her address to five minutes unless further time is
granted by the Presiding Officer, or prior arrangements
have been made. A project applicant, or his or her
representatives, may address the Commission in excess of
five minutes if necessary to fully explain the project
and respond to questions of the Commission.
4 . 8 HEARINGS AND FINDINGS :
Planning Commission hearings need not be conducted
according to the technical rules relating to evidence and
witnesses .
4 . 9 DECORUM:
While the Commission is in session, the members must
preserve order and decorum, and a member shall neither,
by conversation or otherwise, delay or interrupt the
proceedings or the peace of the Commission nor disturb
any member while speaking or refuse to obey the orders of
the Commission or its Presiding Officer, except as
otherwise herein provided.
4 . 10 ENFORCEMENT OF DECORUM:
The Chief of Police or any member or members of the
Police Department or other members of the City Staff may
be designated by the Commission to be Sergeant at Arms
when, in the opinion of the Presiding Officer, the
services of a Sergeant at Arms is necessary. The
Sergeant at Arms shall carry out all orders and
instructions given by the Presiding Officer for the
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purpose of maintaining order and decorum at the
Commission meeting.
5. VOTING
5. 1 VOTING PROCEDURE:
On the passage of every motion, the vote shall be taken
by voice or roll call at the discretion of the Presiding
� Officer. Any member of the Commission may, before the
vote is taken, request a roll call vote. It shall not be
in order for members to explain their vote during roll
call . Any member may change his or her vote before the
next order of business .
5. 3 ABSTENTIONS:
Every member should vote unless disqualified because of
a conflict of interest. Self-disqualification, without
good cause, shall be avoided, but no member shall be
forced to vote. An abstaining member shall be counted
toward constituting a quorum. A member who abstains
shall in effect consent that a majority of the quorum may
act for him.
5. 4 TIE VOTES :
Tie votes shall be lost motions and may be reconsidered.
5. 5 THREE AFFIRMATIVE VOTES NECESSARY FOR CERTAIN APPROVALS :
Motions granting approvals for land use
entitlements or recommending General Plan or Zoning
Amendments shall require three affirmative votes . .
If a majority of the quorum favors the action, but
is unable to marshal the necessary three
affirmative votes, the matter may e.ither be
continued until a date when absent commission
members, if any, will be present, or referred to
City Council for final action, without formal
approval of the Planning Commission. Routine
motions that do not involve land use enti�lements
or General Plan or Zoning amendments, may be passed
by a majority of the quorum, including by a 2-1
vote if only three commissioners are in attendance.
5. 6 RECONSIDERATION:
Any member who voted with the majority may move for
reconsideration of any action at the same meeting. The
motion to reconsider any action taken by the Commission
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may be made only during the same session, or at an
extension of the same session. Such motion must be made
by one of the prevailing side, but maybe seconded by any
member, and may be made at any time. The motion shall be
debatable. Nothing herein shall be construed to prevent
any member of the Commission from making or remaking the
same or any other motion at a subsequent meeting of the
Commission.
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PLANNING COMMISSION RESOLUTION N0.
A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF
THE CITY OF PALM DESERT ADOPTING THE PLANNING
COMMISSION BYLAWS
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission of the City of Palm Desert
wishes to update its Bylaws in order to better govern its conduct
durinq its time of ineeting in order to more capably perform its
� duties and render greater services to the citizens of Palm Desert.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Planning Commission of
the City of Palm Desert that it does hereby adopt the Planning
Commission Bylaws, as attached hereto, as being the approved -
procedures for conducting Planning Commission Meetings . The
Planning Commission Bylaws approved hereby shall supersede all
previous Bylaws and Rules of Operation adopted by the Planning
Commission.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the Palm
Desert Planning Commission held on day of , 1998, by the
following vote to wit: •
Ayes :
Noes :
Absent :
- Sonia Campbell, Chairman
ATTEST:
Phil Drell, Secretary
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